1. Field of Disclosure
The present disclosure relates to an improved way of and means for collecting bar-coded coupons both online and offline, and redeeming the same in physical streams of commerce using imaging-based or laser scanning based bar code reading operations at retail point of sale (POS) stations.
2. Brief Description of the State of Knowledge in the Art
Bar-coded store coupons are becoming increasingly popular with consumers seeking to save money on retail purchases at physical retail point of sale (POS) stations. Today, product manufacturers and retailers publish bar-coded coupons in both online and physical streams of commerce. Typically bar-coded coupons have expiration dates, before which the coupons must be redeemed for cost savings at the time of purchase.
Currently, coupons can be redeemed by reading a printed copy of the bar-coded coupon using a laser scanning or imaging-based bar code symbol reader connected to a retail host system. Alternatively, bar-coded coupons can be displayed on the light emitting screens of cell-phones and smart phones (e.g. Apple® iPhone, Motorola® Android phones, etc) and other mobile devices with integrated digital cameras (e.g. Apple® iPod device), and then read by imaging-based bar code symbol reading systems such as Honeywell's Genesis® POS-based digital-imaging bar code symbol reader.
However, bar-coded coupons digitally displayed on mobile phones and other devices cannot be read using the millions of conventional laser-scanning bar code symbol readers currently deployed around the world, pushing such scanning devices to the brink of obsolescence.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,685,093, 6,877,665, 7,028,906, and 7,395,961 to Challa et al. disclose systems, methods and apparatus for communicating information encoded in a bar code format between a mobile communications device (e.g. cell-phone) and a bar code symbol scanner. In one embodiment, the backlight of an LCD screen produces pulses of light that simulate the light reflected from the bar code symbol during laser scanning operations, for detection by the photo-detector within the bar code symbol scanner. In another embodiment, an LED-based IR light transmitter produces pulses of light that simulate the light reflected from the bar code symbol during laser scanning operations, for detection by the photo-detector within the bar code symbol scanner. Currently, this technology is being commercialized under the MOBEAM brand by MOBEAM, Inc., to allow users to use their mobile phones to redeem coupons at the POS checkout.
However, while the technology disclosed in Challa et al.'s U.S. patents enable mobile phones to beam bar code information to bar code scanners without the occurrence of physical scanning operations, conventional laser-based bar code symbol readers and digital-imaging bar code readers are not optimized for deployment in diverse modern retail POS environments, where there is a need for mobile phone users to beam coupons to the POS station during coupon redemption operations, in a flexible manner.
Thus, there a great need in the art for a new and improved way of and means for managing and redeeming bar-coded coupons displayed on the light emitting screens of portable devices, such as cell-phones and smart-phones, while avoiding the shortcomings and drawbacks of prior art apparatus and methodologies.